Two new ways to detect Alzheimer's

• April 25, 2024

Researchers discovered two new ways to detect Alzheimer's: the first is based on the observation of changes in the eyes and the second in the falls of a person. These investigations were presented within the framework of the International Conference of the Alzheimer's Association which is celebrated in Paris .

The first study found that changes in the blood vessels of the retina may be a premature sign of Alzheimer's. This investigation was carried out in the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, in Australia .

The researchers compared photographs of the retina of 13 people with Alzheimer's disease, 13 people with mild cognitive disability and 100 healthy people. They found that the width of the vessels in the retina was significantly different between the first group, that of individuals with this suffering and that of healthy people.

All were subjected to tests with brain scanner , which resulted in that Alzheimer's patients had higher levels of amyloid , a toxic protein that accumulates in the brain and it damages the neurons of those who suffer from this condition.

This finding could lead in the future to the development of a simple test of eyes to identify people in the early stages of the disease and the brain scanner could be used to confirm the diagnosis , as published in BBC World about.

More falls

The second study, which was also presented in Paris, uncovered another potential way to detect the first signs of the disease: the changes in balance .

The scientists of the University of Washington , in St. Louis, United States, discovered that falls are more common among individuals who are in the early stages of Alzheimer's.

The study continued for eight months to 125 adults older cognitively healthy, some of whom had been diagnosed with the onset of Alzheimer's and others not.

All the participants were submitted to brain scans to measure your levels of amyloids and they were asked to keep a journal during the time of the study, about the times they experienced a drop for a day.

The results showed that those who had shown more levels of amyloid plaques they had twice the risk of having suffered a fall.

According to the scientists, this finding reveals that before the cognitive impairment typical of the disease, changes in balance and gait begin to occur.

Video Medicine: Eye scanning to help identify and treat symptoms in Alzheimer's (April 2024).